Game 1 - Whitworth 10, Lewis & Clark 7

PORTLAND, Ore. -- 10 hits led to six runs as the Lewis & Clark Pioneers jumped out to a 6-2 lead through four innings on Saturday afternoon. The defending Northwest Conference regular season champion Whitworth Pirates fought back, scoring eight runs over the final three innings, as the Pios lost 10-7 at Huston Field.

Brooke Koran went 2 for 3 in the first four innings, driving in a run and scoring two herself, the second of which came on one of Jenai Rojo's two singles over the same stretch, as the Pios led 6-1 entering the bottom half of the fourth inning.

Hannah Dal Pra was just as effective, getting two hits in her first two at bats, including an RBI double in the third inning.

"We came out tough and swinging, and got up four or five runs," said Lewis & Clark head coach Shawna Cyrus. "Whitworth is a good team and took advantage of every single mistake that we made."

Whitworth scored four runs in the top of the fifth, started by Allie Rude's leadoff double. She advanced to third on an Alyssa Hall single. With two outs, Chelsey Hayes doubled to center field, scoring both Rude and Hall before Shannon Wessel homered off Lewis & Clark starter Jill Pinder to bring in two more.

Pinder took her first lost of the season, allowing six earned runs on eight hits with two strikeouts. The home run was her second given up this season, the other coming in the season opener at La Sierra.

The Pirates added two more runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Kelsey Downey's double scored one run before Myranda Ramirez hit a two-out infield single to score another in the sixth. In the next inning, an error made Wessel's leadoff single a two-base at-bat before Michelle Silva reached on another error, and Wessel scored. Silva touched the plate on Morgan Portlock's ensuing single.

In the bottom of the seventh, freshman Emily Drevdahl hit her first collegiate home run with two outs to bring the Pios within three.

"I had nothing to lose, so I went all out," said Drevdahl about the homer that cleared the leftfield wall. "It was pretty fun."

"The game showed that we are right there, that we can beat the top teams in our conference," said Cyrus.

Drevdahl finished 2 for 4, and Ateisha Norton's lone hit in the game was a two-RBI double that scored the Pios' first two runs of the game. Kalin Rooney pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing four runs, two earned, on five hits, while Drevdahl threw an inning, striking out two.

Game 2 - Whitworth 10, Lewis & Clark 2

Lewis & Clark gave up four walks in the first inning, and six free bases over the first three overall, as Whitworth built a 6-0 lead en route to a 10-2 Pioneers defeat in six innings.

Starter Sarah Reyes gave up four walks in an inning of work, allowing three runs without giving up a hit to lose the game in her second career start for Lewis & Clark. Emily Drevdahl pitched two innings, allowing three runs on five hits before Kady Bruce (pictured right)
threw the final three innings, allowing four hits and four runs.

"The first inning was bad news, and we just plateaued off that first inning," said head coach Shawna Cyrus. "We came out swinging, which is good, but [Whitworth] is a good team"

Drevdahl and Hannah Dal Pra each had a multi-hit game, with Drevdahl doubling to left in the fifth inning, which ultimately helped the Pios extend the game. Dal Pra's leadoff single to right gave the Pios a baserunner. Holly Hale ran for Dal Pra, advancing to third on Drevdahl's double before Zoe Juarez hit both in to cut Whitworth's lead to 8-2.

The Pirates scored two runs in the next half inning on a single by Desi Graham and Megan John's groundout to go back up eight runs, ending the game early.

Because of weather concerns, the doubleheader origianlly scheduled to start at noon on Sunday has been moved up two hours. Whitworth and Lewis & Clark will finish the series with games now starting at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.